With every new Joseph Gordon-Levitt casting announcement it seems the young actor’s career is getting exponentially better. After the excellent 50/50 in theaters now, he’ll appear in Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight Rises next summer, with Rian Johnson‘s sci-fi flick Looper and Steven Spielberg‘s Lincoln to follow. Variety has now announced his involvement in a film I’m looking forward to more than the rest.

Gordon-Levitt is now in talks to join his Inception co-star Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino’s western Django Unchained. There was talk of promoting his cycling thriller Premium Rush getting in the way of shooting, but that film has just been moved to August 24th, 2012, so it is wide open for Levitt to take the unknown role.

I’ve read the Django script and can’t tell where he fits in, unless it is a supporting part. Knowing Tarantino, it could be something small but vital, like the role of Scotty Harmony, a mid-20′s man who falls for the slave wife of Jamie Foxx‘ character. There are also various bad guys that show up and have yet to be cast, but I’d think Tarantino will want to give this actor a bit more meat to chew on.

Django Unchained begins production this January in New Orleans with Christoph Waltz, Kurt Russell, Don Johnson, Dennis Christopher, Laura Cayouette, , M.C. Gainey and Tom Savini all part of the ensemble. It will open on Christmas Day in 2012, right around Lincoln I presume.

What do you think about Gordon-Levitt likely joining Unchained?